Class secretary Maureen Hall sends news: "Our 40th reunion was a fun time, with many classmates who came from far and wide. John Barry came the farthest from California and Bernie Burnham drove the longest from her home in Upstate New York. The others who came to renew their ties to KSC were Susan Kelliher Marshall, Nancy Piotrowski Hanagan, Claire Reynolds Jutras, Kiki Smith Branley, Jackie Price Rzasa, Louise Martineau Gustafson, Michael Kray, John Moody, Blake Richards, and me. If you are in the Keene area, take time to admire all the beautiful changes that have taken place. Also, stop in at the Alumni Center. What a welcoming addition to our campus."This past year, my husband, Colin, and I moved to a 55-and-over community in Hooksett. The area is still close to my home city of Manchester, where I still see many friends and join in the local activities. Our daughter, Sarah, has three children and lives close by in Henniker. Our son, Doug, lives in San Diego, and we have plans to visit him many years to come. We are enjoying the retired life and keep busy with our family and many friends. How lucky we are."

Susan Kelliher Marshall had a great time at her 40th class reunion. She writes: "It was nice to spend time with old friends and reconnect with some I hadn't seen in 40 years. Our old campus has had a facelift with new buildings and beautiful walking paths. KSC is still one of the most beautiful colleges in the Northeast. Dan '72 and I are working part-time now after retiring three years ago. Dan works at Stonebridge Country Club during the summer and still coaches skiing at Cannon Mountain in the winter. I teach at Manchester Community College. Since our children Ryan and Matt both work and live in Portsmouth and Abby lives and teaches in Manchester, Dan and I decided to downsize. We bought a condo in downtown Manchester. We've been here for two years and love 'city life.' We are the proud grandparents of Emma Grace. She will be three in October. We get to spend a lot of time with her and love every minute of it."I would like to thank Maureen Sheehan Hall for all of the time and hard work she puts into being our class secretary. You are appreciated, Maureen."

Linda Hobbs O'Connor is still teaching and enjoying fifth grade at Fuller School in Keene. She and her husband, Terry, celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Their oldest daughter, Jessica, is teaching seventh grade at Bailey Bridge Middle School in Chesterfield, VA. Their son, Ryan, and his wife, Kathleen, are parents of seven- month-old John. They are captains in the USAF, stationed in Ohio. The O'Connors' youngest son, Shaun, lives with his wife, Tammy, in Temple, NH.

Linda Jewell Labaire was sorry to miss the reunion. She retired from teaching public school three years ago and is still teaching for a private company. She says, "Imagine me, teaching safety? I love the job! The best part is I can make my own hours. The only thing I can't figure out is where have the years gone?"

Kiki Smith Branley writes: "Kevin and I have three children: two daughters, Lori and Lisa, each with two young sons, and one son, Mike, who graduated from UNH with his master's degree in public administration and is presently doing an internship in Moultonborough, NH. Kevin and I are both retired from teaching PE in Derry, NH, and reside in beautiful downtown Chester, NH. We are pretty active and enjoy many outdoor activities. I still have a horse that I manage to ride sometimes. We also have many interests, including classic cars, canoeing, tennis, biking, and hiking, and manage a trip or two per year. Kevin still runs a painting business, and I have my own business, Best Health Associates, so we have second careers that we feel really good about. This year's reunion was great, especially seeing friends who have been pretty good at attending regularly: Maureen, Susan, Nancy, Bernie, Jackie, and Claire, and Jewell who couldn't attend because of her daughter's high school graduation. If you haven't attended a reunion at KSC lately, put it on your things-to-do list and join in. The campus is beautiful and so are the memories. Write to Maureen and fill us in!"

News from Sarah "Sally" Bingham: "I received a PhD from the University of Virginia in education in 1993. At the end of this semester, I retired after 26 years from Longwood University. I was honored with the rank of professor emeritus. My plans for retirement are to go through docent training at the UVA museum, to take a master gardening course in early 2012, spend time gardening at my home, continue supervision of student teachers, and do some traveling. I have not been back to Keene since the early '70s, so that will be one of my travel destinations in the near future."

John Barry writes: "I'm writing a play, Pygment-Alien, a parody of Shaw's Pygmalion. I have finished my portfolio, "Visual Verbiage," a collection of visual puns, and I'm taking drawing lessons. I've published approximately 3,200 song parodies on amiright.com. I visit my brother in Gilford once or twice a year. My wife and I recently celebrated our 26th anniversary. My son, Sean, lives in Portland, OR, where young people go to retire. I've also done some traveling and hope to do more. I'm looking forward, except for the aging part, to my KSC 50th."

From Gail Walter Tremblay: "I have enjoyed catching up with KSC friends over the years! My husband and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We got married soon after graduation at the United Church of Christ on Central Square in Keene. We have four beautiful daughters and eight beautiful grandchildren. I love to spend time with family at our cottage in Maine. I retired from teaching and from managing our real estate office."

John Moody completed his eight-year term as KSC Alumni Trustee and considers it both an honor and a privilege to have done so. He says it was great to see former classmates at reunion and is looking forward to the 50th.

From Karen Denholm LeDuc: "I never made it to reunion even though I live close by. Thanks, Maureen, for keeping everyone connected and coordinating the news. Darryl and I live in Westmoreland and both are retired from teaching. We now have new careers at KSC. I work with methods students in the Early Childhood Department with Dottie Bauer, and Darryl teaches courses in American studies and supervises student teachers for English. Both daughters are on their own, and we enjoy our grandchildren."

Louise Parsons Vallee and her husband, Gerry, are enjoying retirement in Port Richey, FL. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in September.

Bernie Burnham wrote: "I worked as a teacher for 35 years at Long Lake Central in the heart of the Adirondacks of New York. I coached several sports throughout the years. I am single. I was married for 22 years and have raised three wonderful daughters. I now have five grandchildren - two just born this spring. I enjoy gardening, kayaking, golfing, and reading. I still do some crosscountry skiing in the winter, but more and more I enjoy going to a warmer climate for two months in the winter. I love to travel. Most recently, I was in Texas to visit my youngest sister, who is a recent national bronze medalist at the senior national games held in Houston. I enjoy staying in touch with my college friends and anticipate coming to New Hampshire soon for a visit. I have enjoyed part-time jobs since my retirement - at the apple orchard near where I grew up and at the museum near where I live now. I recently joined a hiking group and plan on hiking and cycling this summer rather than working!"

Louise Martineau Gustafson came to the reunion. She has just retired after 30 years as a library media specialist from the Weare school district. She and her husband, David '72, live in Dunbarton. David retired in 2004 after 25 years with the Union Leader and loves hiking and fishing. Their children are 39, 35, and 34, and live in New York and Wyoming.

News from Blake Richards: "I retired after more than 35 years as a teacher and principal and still miss the kids. I try to make up for that by substitute teaching as often as possible. My wife, Maggie (also a longtime teacher and retired), and I live in Salem, NH. We are the proud parents of a wonderful daughter, Kaitlyn, who married Michael last October. It's always great to come back to KSC and see the many wonderful and exciting changes the College has undergone. The Alumni Center is especially impressive. I hope to see many more of our fellow graduates from the class of 1971 as we move closer to our 50th reunion."

Nancy Piotrwoski Hanagan writes: "My husband, Dan, and I enjoy spending our winters in Florida. Last November we drove our daughter, Bridget, to San Diego, where she now lives and works. She loves it out there! Our son, Shawn, married a lovely KSC graduate, Katie Taber, in August. Returning to KSC for our 40th reunion was a wonderful and fun experience! It was a job well done by the reunion committee! I am impressed by the campus, which has greatly expanded and is truly outstanding in so many ways. I enjoyed getting together with friends to laugh and reminisce about the good old days! Looking at photos from the past brought back many fond memories and lots of smiles. I personally want to thank Maureen Sheehan Hall for all her hard work as our class secretary! I hope to see many more classmates at our 45th!"

1972

Remember Reunion, June 1-3, 2012! Save the date and start getting in touch with classmates now!

1976

IN MEMORIAM: Frank W. Castricone '76October 13, 2011

1977

Remember Reunion, June 1-3, 2012! Save the date and start getting in touch with classmates now!

[Ed. note: Apologies to Sabrina Brown Maltby, who was no doubt surprised to see the life of one of her classmates attributed to her in the last issue of Keene State Today! The note was actually submitted by Joseph Palumbo, who wrote: "My son, James, graduated from Stony Brook University. I run my own soccer academy, and went to play in Italy for the Carpi Football Club this winter. I'm the varsity soccer coach at Somers High School in Somers, NY. I received a Coach of the Year award my first year. I took two teams to Italy to play against the Serie A's, A.C. Milan, Brescia, and Roma football clubs."]